Road Trip Planning| Miles Kms | Item | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 0.0 0.0 |
Junction |
Terminus. Junction of Crater Rim Drive and Chain of Craters Road. Hawaii Colcanoes Nation Park. Crater Rim Drive heads up to Kilauea Crater whereas Chain of Craters Road heads down to the ocean. |
| 0.2 0.3 |
Trail |
Crater Rim Trail crosses Chain of Craters Road. |
| 0.4 0.7 |
Rest Stop |
View of old lava flows off of Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii. |
| 0.4 0.7 |
Crater |
First of many craters. |
| 1.0 1.6 |
Crater Rest Stop |
Road turn off with parking. Walk a 30 meters to a large crater. |
| 1.2 1.9 |
Meadow |
West is a meadow and in the distance an old lavaflow. |
| 1.6 2.5 |
Small crater |
Just the the West the jungle obscures this smaller crater called Koko 'Olau. |
| 2.2 3.6 |
Junction |
Hilina Rali Road. Several miles on this road leads to a large cliff. |
| 2.2 3.6 |
Smaller Crater |
East about 100 meters is a small crater. |
| 2.6 4.2 |
Hiiaka Crater |
Rest stop on the West of road. Walk east along lavaflow to the Hiiaka Crater. |
| 3.2 5.2 |
Pauahi Crater |
Pull out and parking on the East side of Chain of Craters Road to See Pauahi Crater. |
| 3.7 5.9 |
Road |
East about a mile is the trailhead for Napau Crater Trail to the spectacular Makeopuhi Crater and Napau Crater.It is roughly 3 miles to the first large crater and a couple more to the next. Check a hiking guide book before proceeding. |
| 4.0 6.4 |
Lava Field |
East is a large lava field. |
| 4.3 6.9 |
Trail |
Road leads to Keaunou Trail and meets up with the Puna Kau Trail near the ocean. |
| 7.4 11.9 |
Scenic View |
Views of old lava flows. |
| 8.7 14.0 |
Lava Flow |
Road is cut right through old lava flows. |
| 9.8 15.7 |
Viewpoint |
Views of lavaflows and ocean beyong cliff wall. Start of Naulu Trail. |
| 10.4 16.7 |
View |
Road passes near cliff for spectacular view. |
| 12.1 19.5 |
Switchback |
Road descends quickly with switchback. |
| 17.3 27.9 |
Ocean |
Chain of Craters Road passes near the ocean. To the West steam plumes, where the lava meets the ocean, are sometimes visible. |
| 18.6 30.0 |
Holei Sea Arch |
Along the lava cliffs is the Holei Sea Arch. Watch the waves crash against the cliffs. |
| 19.8 31.9 |
Lava Flow |
Lava flows down from Puu Oo Cone, Hawaii. |
| 23.8 38.3 |
Road's End |
End of the Chain of Craters Road, Hawaii. Turn around. |